Process of extracting copper.



UNITED ST TES oscAR FROLICH, BERLIN, GERMANY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12,1906. Serial Ila 305.579.

PR CESS :OF sxrnaorme." COPPER.

Patented March 12,1907.

To all it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR FRoLIoH, 'nat uralphilosopher, a citizen of the Swiss, Re-

In my process all roasting and smelting is omitted, and after. a certain preparation of the ore'sand smelting products the copper is obtained by chlorinat on with chlorinating-- a ses, then by leaching with water, and mally by extracting the copper out of the solution by cementation wiz, treatingfwith iron in arotatin-gapparatuSL Accordingto my'invention I pre are the copper ores and. smelting products y heat:

ing'them wit'hout "admitting air,to 'a tem perature between 150*- and 8 00 centigrade, and thereby .drivin oif, the loose sulfurviz., the sulfur which go'es off by distillation of the ore orsmelting product without ade mission of air. The pyrite is bythisoperation changedfin its chemical composition and after mistreatment can be chlorinated much uicken and, better than in its normal state.

' "The chlorinating-gasesInseare chlorin,

va or ofhydrochloric acid and of ferric ch orid. The chlorin and-the ferricchlorid attack the-sulfur compounds of copper, the hydrochloric acid andthe ferric chlorid attack the oxide of copper in the 'oresf arid" e quantities o t e smelting products. "T

' gases and vapors in'the mixture are regulated according to thedifi'erent combination of copper that may bepresent inthe ore.

The chlorinatingmixture may also contain steam. I prefer to regulate the temperature of the chlorination somewhat higher than the the cop term the ore onlyoccurs 1n combinaboiling temperature of r the ferric chlorid, about 300=centigrfade;b1 1tit can be lower if tion with sulfur, and chlorin gas only..i- If the ores and in that case I use smelting products are poor in sulfur and it is therefore not imp ortant to collect the sulfur, the operations of heating Without air and of the chlorination may be combined by regulating the temperature of the chlorination in such a way that the loose sulfur is also driven ofl'.that is, a-temperature of about 150 Centigrade and more.

If iron is present in the ore or smelting products, it is chlorinated, together with the copper, andthis'process is facilitated in a measure as the temperature ishigher; but

the chlorination of the copper takes lace quicker than that of the iron. In case *de sire to chlorinate all the iron in order finally to obtain all the, sulfurI extend the time of chlorination more than is needed to chlorinate the copper only.

In order to regainthe chlorin combined with the iron, theme or smelting product is after chlorination heated to about 300 and more,: and a certain quantity of air is intro; duced during the operation. The ferric chlorid is then evaporated and by the air sepa rated into oxid off-iron and chlorin gas, "which are both collected. The chlorid of copperis not changed by"this operationl Ihfen "the ore or. smelting-product is treatedwith hot water, the chlorld of copper l and. perhaps" a residue ofi'thelferric chlorid are thereby -eir- 'tracted, the solution is "introducedsinto a totating apparatus containing "ieces of iron, and fthe metallic copperis o tainedf .as'""cementated copper.

' "A r the cop or is obtained the chlorin in the solution, w j'ch contains 1nainl"'ferro chlorid, should, be regained. For t 'si"pu rpose the solutionjis in a rotating apparatus oxidized toferric chlorid by introducingair into'the solution. Then thewater andT'waP telr ofcrystallization is driven ofi by heat,

andbyincreasin'g the temperature overthe boiling-point of ferric chlorid andintroduc inga certain quantity of air gaseous chlorin and ferrochlorld are obtained. If in this 0 eration hydrochloric acid is formed, it can e transformed into chlorin by treating with calcium h ochlorite.

If the dr ving off of the loose sulfur and the chlorination are combined, a part of the sulfur is chlorinated and can betaken olf and treated by hot Water. Dioxid of sulfur and hydrochloric acid are formed. This portion of hydrochloric acid canbe also transformed into chlorin.

The sulfur which remains combined with copper and iron after the loose part of the su fur is driven off is freed when the cop er and'iron are chlorinated and leached ofit'. It

chloric acid into chlorin.

is obtained by heating the remaining part of the ore over 448, the boiling temperature of sulfur, and 'driving off this part of the sulfur.

chlorin is regained completely or almost completely, the copper is obtained completely or almost completely in a cementated state, the greater part of the iron as oxid of iron and of the sulfur. as solid sulfur. The'expense consists in iron for cementation, and calcium hypochlorite for the transformation of hydro- All operations need only short time-the preparation and the driving ofl of the loose sulfur, one half to one hour; the chlorination, two to three hours; the driving off of the ferric chlorid, one-half to one hour; the distillation of the combined sulfur, onerhalf to one hour; the cementation in a good rotating apparatus, one hour to one and a half hours. Consequently the apparatus need only contain a small part of the daily production. a

This method can be applied with very good results. as to co partner with considerably smaller costs tiian other methods to the poorest ores and smelting products, as well as to richer ones. Its advantages are avoiding the use of sulfurous acid, of roasting and smelting, of theslow disintegration by airand water, relatively small size of the apparatus, small ex ense for mechanical power and labor, smali ossibility of placingthe works in the neighliorhood of the mine.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. A method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air to a temperature, by which the loose sulfur is driven off, then chlorinating at a temperature between 0 centigrade and 350 centigrade by means of chlorinating-gases. 2. A method of extracting copper fro copper ores and smelting products, which method consists infirst heating the said prod ucts without admission of air to' a temperature, by which the loose sulfur is driven off, then treating it with gaseous chlorin, hydrochloric acid and ferric chlorid at a tempera-- ture between 0 and 350 centigrade.

duration of the operations,

3. method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air, to a tempera-. ture, by which the loose sulfur is driven off, then treating with gaseous chlorin, hydrochloric acid and ferric chlorid at a temperature between 0 and 350 centigrade then adding air at a temperature higher than the boiling-point of ferric chlorid, and finally collecting the chlorinating-gases thus formed.

4. A method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air, to a temperature, by which the loose sulfur is driven off, then treating with gaseous chlorin, hydrochloric acid and ferric chlorid at a temperature between 0 and 350. centigrade then adding air at a temperature higher than the boiling-point of ferric chlorid, collecting the chlorinating-gases formed, leaching with water and finally introducing the solution into a rotating apparatus, containing iron.

5. A method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air to a tempera ture by which the loose sulfur is driven off,

then treating with gaseous chlorin, hydro-- chloric acid and ferric chlorid at a temperature between 0 and 350 centigrade then adding air at a temperature higher than the boiling-point of ferric chlorid, then collecting the chlorinating-gases formed, leaching with water and introducing the solution into a rotating apparatus, containing iron, after the deposition of copper oxidizing the remaining solution in a rotating apparatus by an airblast, then driving off-the water and the water of crystallization by heating, and finally regaining the chlorinating-gases by introducing a limited quantity of air.-

6. The method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air to a temperature bywhich the loose sulfur is driven off,

then treating with gaseous chlorin, hydrochloric acid and ferric chlorid at a temperature between 0 and 350 centigrade, then adding air at a temperature higher than the boiling-point of ferric chlorid, then collecting the chlorinating-gases formed, leaching with water introducing the solution into a rotating apparatus containing iron, after the deposition ofcopper, oxidizing the remaining solution in a rotating apparatus by an airblast, then by driving off the water and the water of crystallization by heating, and re gaining the chlorinating-gases by introducing a limited quantity of air and treating the chlorinated sulfur, obtained during the chlorination, with hot water.

7. The method of extracting copper from copper ores and smelting products, which method consists in first heating the said products without admission of air to a temperature by which the loose sulfur is driven off, then treating with gaseous chlorin, hydrochloric acid and ferric chlorid at a temperature between 0 and 350 centigrade, then adding air at a temperature higher than the boiling-point of ferric chlorid, then collecting the chlorinating-gases formed, leaching with water and introducing the solution into a rotating apparatus containing iron and-after thedeposit of copper, oxidizing the remaining solution in a rotating apparatus by an air-blast, then driving off the water and the water of crystallization by heating, and regaining the chlorinating-gases by introducing a limited quantity of air,' treating the'chlorinated sulfur, obtained during the chlorination with hot Water, finally after taking oil of copper and iron, heating the remaining part of the ore above the boiling temperature of sulfur and distilling the sulfur formerly combined to the copper and the iron.

In testimony vhereof I have affixed my signature in presence of'two Witnesses.

OSCAR F'ROLICH.- Witnesses:

HENRY HAsPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT. 

